Aw, Mom, we really love ya: The typical consumer is planning to spend a little more on Mother's Day this year, with the National Retail Federation reporting that consumers are planning to spend about $126.90 on gifts, cards and celebrations. ...Read the whole story

The makers of e-book readers are pulling out the marketing stops -- Amazon's Kindle has been airing TV ads recently; Barnes & Noble is launching a major campaign to promote the Nook, and then there's the iPad -- but it still might be awhile before the platform catches on with consumers. ...Read the whole story

Vantage Hospitality Group announced that all of its nearly 900 Americas Best Value Inn and Canadas Best Value Inn properties throughout North America will carry biodegradable packaging in their guest rooms, including shampoo, body lotion and bath soap. ...Read the whole story

The National Hockey League has launched the next phase of its long-term strategy of taking hockey beyond the NHL.com hub to social-media and complementary sites. The League has begun using new Facebook tools that it hopes will make NHL fans advocates and promulgators of league content and opinions. ...Read the whole story

Family values prompted Nickelodeon's move to a one-brand strategy last year after internal research revealed that the first generation of viewers turned into parents. The audience for the 30-year old brand had grown much larger than the company expected. ...Read the whole story

PepsiCo's earnings rose 26% in the first quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations. The company reported a profit of $1.43 billion, or 89 cents per share, up from 72 cents in last year's first quarter. However, the company's 13% net revenue growth -- to $9.37 -- fell short of analysts' expectations. The earnings gain was driven by recent acquisitions of two of its largest bottlers, improving top-line performance in its North American beverages business, improved margins in the Frito-Lay North America business and double-digit snacks/beverages volume gains in developing markets, including India and China. North America Beverages maintained volume share leadership in ... ...Read the whole story